Bishop CA Round-Up…And A Few More Thoughts On The “Dark Side”

Discussing battery capacity at happy hour with Lu & Terry…it’s exciting stuff this RVing

Well hot dang, people really DO want to hear about the dark side! My quick little post yesterday has already tagged my highest all-time views and lots of interesting comments. I guess in a way it’s comforting to hear things aren’t all roses and rainbow-farting unicorns (I have to thank Technomadia for coming up with that most excellent visual). Fulltime RVing, like any endeavor in life, has regular boring old day-to-day chores, difficult challenges and transitions, positives and negatives. For those of us who do it the call is strong, like zombies to the night…and the bonus is we get it all with a backyard view of our chosing. Others prefer the comforts of home and really don’t see the point. And in the end thank goodness for that! If we all wanted the same things in life, it would be a boring world indeed.

A teaser shot from our new super-secret free site…

I am particularly thankful for that as I sit today in my new, super-secret FREE site surrounded by sweeping views of the Alabama Hills and the soaring Sierra Nevada Mountains. There is no pool here, and I haven’t had a proper shower in 3 days, but the view is outstanding. I’ve actually moved a few blog posts ahead of myself (when there’s so much good stuff to write about I can’t help it, darn it), have introduced Lu & Terry to their very first honest-to-goodness right out in the boonies boondocking experience and have even met the lovely RV Sue (we stumbled onto her campsite yesterday as we were biking around the hills).

Schat’s Bakery is an iconic stop in Bishop

But alas I must rewind and get back on track. A quick round-up of our past week in Bishop, a campsite review of the lovely Horton Creek BLM and THEN I’ll be up to date. Honestly Bishop ended up offering far more than I expected. Donna from Travels In Therapy is practically a Bishop native and gave me a bunch of pointers for the area (sorry Donna, we didn’t manage them all).

The Sierra’s with early morning snow

Paul checks out a petroglyph on Fish Slough Road

Now you’re talking my language…

This little town on the northern end of Owen’s Valley, enclosed on one side by the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the other by the majestic White Mountains really packs alot in. Besides the hiking, and the Ancient Bristlecone Forest there’s a fabulous petroglyph tour along Fish Slough Road (multi-hundreds are strewn across the rocks in the area), eye-dropping photography from one of my favorite nature photographers EVER, Galen Rowell at the downtown Mountain Light Gallery (I went twice) and some reaaaaly, reaaaly decent food. For gluten-eaters Schat’s Bakery gets great reviews. Not much there for us I admit, but we did find outstanding Thai food at Thai Thai out by the airport and some excellent authentic finger-likkin’ Texas-style BBQ at Holy Smoke. Yum, yum, yum…

All-in-all a great week in the area, and we’ve already decided we’ve got to come back to see the many, many things we didn’t get around to. But time to move on to our next adventure….see you in the boonies, my friends…

Petroglyphs and the white mountains

Caught this guy noshing by the rocks

Hanging at the Mountain Light Gallery…a MUST DO for any photography lover

More excellent petroglyphs

A Final Austin Roundup

For those of you who like this sort of place, this is the sort of place you like.

Oh, the sause...the sause.....Rudy's BBQ

Well folks, it’s time to round-up the pack, lift the jacks and get going to the next location. We’ve had a fabulous 10 days here in Austin and it’s gone down as one of our favorite big cities. It’s a fascinating mix. Despite its designation as the State Capitol of Texas it’s got its own unique vibe. There’s a good dose of rugged, old-style Texas, but also an infusion of West Coast, a touch of the bohemian and edges of Asian. The growth of the semiconductor and technology industry over the past few decades caused a boom in this town bringing in slews of young folks from CA and all that comes with it. There are big Asian communities in the area providing a full assortment of authentic food and Asian markets. And then there’s the farmers’ markets, the University and the health stores bringing a spot of the bohemian to the place.

The pretty town square at Lockhart, TX

We’ve worked hard to get our fill. On the BBQ side we went from The Salt Lick in Driftwood, to Rudy’s (the fatty brisket is outstanding) with a day-trip to the BBQ central of Texas just 20 mins south in Lockhart TX (Rex Vogel did a fabulous series of posts on this area in his blog). We indulged the gourmet in us with Trailer Food, satisfied our Asian longings with Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup and bubble-milk tea (these brought back many fine memories of my years in Taiwan), and met both old friends (a good friend of Paul’s, IMei moved over here with her husband)  and made new ones (Caroline, a blog reader, popped by with her hubby). And finally we attempted to walk it all off with some relaxing and pretty hikes in McKinney Falls State Park.

There is so much more we haven’t seen here, but this will definitely go down as our kind of town and a place to come back to wanting more.

No plates here...just your meat! Rudy's

Taiwanese bubble-milk tea from Coco's Cafe

Blissfull in BBQ Heaven – The Salt Lick, Driftwood, TX

Pre-Note/ I feel it my duty to warn you that the following post may contain scenes of graphic meatness. My deepest apologies to all vegetarians….

The Salt Lick BBQ Pit, a feast for the senses

There are things in life that take you beyond the sphere of normal human experience. You know the type; alien encounters, transcendental meditation, skinny dipping under a full moon, that other thing…and of course gosh-darn-it-bring-it-on homestyle BBQ. The later is a unique experience all the more so because it absorbs all 5 of the human senses. It’s even been speculated that the best of BBQs trigger a type of out-of-body experience via instantaneous combustion of sensatory overload. Yes, yes, I know, I’m getting ridiculously carried away here (and I’ve barely even started the blog post), but it’s hard to focus after a meal at The Salt Lick. I’ll attempt to get back on track and start from the beginning…

The Salt Lick BBQ

As I mentioned in a previous post our guts led us to Austin, and our guts were looking for satisfaction. It’s a town renowned for gourmet cooking, foodies and, this being Texas, BBQ. Now, I should start by pointing out that BBQ is a different species here. This is not a slap-on-the-grill thing, nor is it a charcoal thing, it’s a Texas thing. Down here the BBQ is a finely tuned cooking extravaganza involving meat, spices, wood and slow-smoked flavor lovingly brought forth over many hours by expert cooks. There are literally hundreds of BBQ joints here luring you in with their smoky aromas, but only a few are truly exceptional and one of them is The Salt Lick.

Boots and wood tables

Located in the sleepy town of Driftwood, TX just ~30 mins SW of Austin, The Salt Lick is literally a BBQ institution. Opened in 1969 by Thurman Roberts, Sr they use the same slow-cooking methods passed down through the family since the 1800′s. It’s a no-nonsense cowboy hangout with simple wood tables, paper napkins, boots for decor and cheap plastic plates because it’s not about the china here…rather it’s ALL about the meat.

So, what was it like?

Nina loses it in a rib...

Well, it’s hard to convey the absolute deliciousness of the event. The meat was moist, rich, fall-off-the-bone, deeply smoked and sensational. As I bit into my first morsel I was sent spinning into the throes of meat ecstasy allowing Paul, in my delirium, to {gasp} take a picture of me. Hubby was equally swept away, absorbed by calculating the cargo we would need to dump for take-home meat whilst staying within safe GVWR driving tonnage in the RV. Indeed, we were both gone…far gone…and it was to a blissful, meaty place.

We eventually made it back to the RV with bellies full and back tires on the toad loaded down with take-home.  It was a fabulous experience one that will go down in eating history as a great one. Oh yes, our guts got satisfaction all right and looks like this town is going to throw down more delicious adventures over the next few days. Hang on to your bellies folks, ‘coz we’re not done yet. Austin’s gonna feed your soul to the core…

Patio and side-entrance to The Salt Lick

Paul is a happy camper

The Lure of Brisket and Pals

A teeny blossom hangs onto the morning dew

So, we’ve decided to stay another couple of days at Alafia River SP. It’s just too darn nice here and we can’t bear to rip ourselves away so soon.

First of all, the weather has been perfect. I mean ideal, lovely, warm, sunny days and cool evenings interspersed with brilliant sunsets, star-filled nights and gorgeous afternoon walks on the trail (I must apologize to those folks stuck in the frozen North -> all I can say is, get your RV’s down here!).

Paul and Freddie

Second of all, Paul’s old pal is here. The two Cubanos love hanging out and even joined us for a week-end camp-out with the kids at the park. We had a blast walking the trails, drinking wine and burning marshmallows on the campfire. There’s nothing quite like the great outdoors in the company of good friends and good food to create the perfect day.

Then, there’s the brisket…

Smokin' Joe's....drooooool....

Now, as you may know we’re both rather foodie-crazed, and the lure of a good meal can be quite the draw. We discovered Smokin’ Joe’s (10252 County Road 39 S
Lithia, FL 33547) last time we were here, and have been haunted by smoked meat fantasies ever since. Paul was literally drooling the entire drive North, and we rushed hungrily to the place almost as soon as we arrived.

A picture-perfect morning at Alafia

And believe me, it’s worth it…EVERYthing is good here. The small family run business serves up an assortment of meats with the absolute perfect mix of smoke, flavor and tenderness highlighted by luscious, deep, homemade BBQ sauces. It’s no surprise that those in the know, know…. In fact the beef brisket is such a star that it sells out the day after they make it, every single time, and it’s rare to find the place without a queue of enthusiasts salivating in the driveway.

So, with a good stock of smoked meat in the fridge (and the plan to go back and stock up again before we go), we’ll relax for a few more days in this swamp paradise. After all there’s no rush, and with surroundings as nice as this why would we be in any hurry to leave? Bon Appétit, everyone!

Sequins, Show and Country Music – Welcome to Nashville!

Nashville at night....all music and lights.

 There’s something about Nashville that speaks to the thespian in me. How can you not love a town where tassels are considered a manly accessory, big hair is beautiful and sequins are appropriate decoration for all? Combine it all with a cowboy hat and a southern twang and you’ve just immersed yourself in the Country music capital of the world. It’s the thrill of the show, a flash of brilliant costumes and a good story all wrapped up in a hometown song. Welcome to Nashville! 

We entered this town on a steaming Tennessee weekend looking to be carried away by guitar tunes and southern BBQ, and we found both. The Country Music Hall of Fame was our first stop. This gorgeous museum traces country back to its roots. From the fiddle-tunes of European settlers, to the five-string banjo of african-americans, you can hear how tunes developed from the first recordings in 1920′s to bluegrass and honky-tonk in the 1930′s and 40′s to the rockabilly greats of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash in the late 1950′s and beyond. Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Lester Flatt, Roy Rogers…all the greats have passed through here, and you can’t help coming out with a smile and a hint of two-step in your boots (you did wear boots, right?) 

With our history in line we spiffed up our outfits, puffed our hair and went out for a night on the town. A full plate of smoked ribs at Jacks and a walk down Broadway gave us the perfect combo. Here you can hear the modern beat of Country Music live in the bars, take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage or rock it out to street-players looking for the big break. As Charley Pride so beautifully said “there’s enough room in country music for everyone”, and in Nashville you’ll get the show to boot.

Hank Williams' guitar. He led a short life, but left a long legacy of music.

Webb Pierce's "silver dollar" convertible at the Country Music Hall of Fame

All the country greats are here

The history of country music roots with early fiddlers and banjo players